Magnetic fastener



Dec. 22, 1964 A. s. RUSSELL 3,161,932

MAGNETIC FASTENER Filed April 15, 1963 INVENTOR.

27 5| 5 s 21 20 N N S 5 ANNE s. RUSSELL F5 5 BY 5% M W- ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent 3,161,932 MAGNETEC FASTENER Anne Seymour Russeil, 944 67th Road, Forest Hills, N.Y. Filed Apr. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 272,910 4Claims. (Qt. 24-203) This invention relates to closures and closurefasteners for garments, particularly for baby garments and other fragilefabrics.

The buttons, zippers, snap fasteners, and hooks and eyes of the priorart are difficult to manage with a squirming baby to hold and only onehand to work with. Magnet fasteners have been proposed for raincoats andthe like but their bulk and conformation, uncomfortably large, badlyshaped and filled with angles, is totally inconsistent with use onfragile cloth such as is employed in baby garments. Other fragilethings, particularly for feminine wear also have need for a fastenerwhich will fasten itself, will come unfastened readily, will holdadequately in service, will not bunch in use or in storage, and whichcan be put through a washer and be ironed with less care than isrequired with prior types. It is also desirable to supply, as an articleof manufacture, clothing fasteners which can be applied to garmentclosures by garment manufacturers and housewives using existingequipment such as flat irons, sewing machines, and needles and thread.

The objects of the invention are accomplished, generally speaking, by aclosure fastener for garments consisting essentially of complementarystrips of magnets, the mag nets of each strip being aligned with likepoles in opposition, the magnets in the complementary strips beingarranged so that they will be in attractive position when the strip isattached to a closure.

In the accompanying drawings are illustrated the best form of theinvention and some modifications of it.

FIG. 1 is a sketch of a baby dress with the magnetic closure fastenersapplied.

PEG. 2 illustrates a useful form of the invention in plan.

FIG. 3 illustrates the same in profile.

FIG. 4 is a plan View partly in section illustrating a closure fastenerembodying the invention and a method of manufacture.

'FIG. 5 is a cross section on line 55 of FIG. 4.

H6. 6 is longitudinal section through a closure in closed position.

As shown in FIG. 3, a simple form of the invention includes a strip orribbon of tape 10 and a complementary strip 11. These strips may be ofany durable material such as cloth or cellulose tape to the face ofwhich are applied, as by adhesive of water resistant type, flat,circular magnets 12, 13 which are flat on the side attached to the tapeand slightly rounded on the other face. Magnets 12 have their northpoles in the center and their south poles at the circumference. Magnets13 have their south poles at the center and their north poles at therim. Such magnets may be made by methods now in existence which form nopart of this invention. The magnets 12 are spaced apart somewhat lessthan the diameter of magnets 13 and vice versa. The magnets on strip it)are staggered with relation to the magnets on strip 11, as shown in thefigures. There is thus an overlap of the magnets at their edges, the Npoles of the magnets 13 making contact with the S poles of magnets 12.and acting to close the closure. The strips of tape it 11 are of thesame length, so that they may be sewed to the garment withoutmeasurement, the top of the tape being sewed to the top of the flap ofthe garment which forms the closure in each instance as shown in FIG. 1,the magnets falling into proper position when so applied.

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In FIGS. 4 and 5 are shown tapes of pocket type receiv ing rectangularmagnets. This form of the invention includes a tape 20 folded uponitself at 2-1 and sewed at 22 parallel to the fold. It is also sewed atregular intervals transversely to the fold as at 23, 24, forming pockets26 into which can be slipped magnets 27 which are thin, fiat and roundedat the edges so as to present no sharp surface.

ter the magnets are inserted the pockets are closed by sewing parallelto the fold. Enough material is left outside the magnets to allow thesewing of the tapes of the garment.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section through a part of a tape as applied toa garment and closed. The flips 3t 31 of the garment have attachedthereto the tapes of FIG. 4, including magnets 27, 27'. The near polesof the adjacent ma nets are of the same sign, but the signs differ inthe tapes, so that the N poles are opposed in tape 31 and the S poles intape 30.

The arrangement of the poles in opposition causes the magnets of onetape to repel each other, tending to prevent crumpling of the flaps ofthe garment. Folding between magnets can also be prevented by slightlystiffening the tape, not enough to prevent flexibility but enough tooffer some opposition to the attraction of the magnets during handling.Various stiffening processes, for instance starching, and variousflexible but somewhat stiff fabrics are known, for instance those whichhave been sized or given a plastic resin treatment.

The advantages of the invention to mothers are very great, as allfumbling for fasteners or snap, hook, button or zipper type, iseliminated. The closure fasteners can be sold in strips appropriatelymarked for application. They are as useful to the housewife as to themanufacturer. They need not be more bulky than fasteners already in useand are less bulky than some. In FIG. 6 of the drawing the magnets needbe only to thick. They are covered by cloth and their length and widthcan be as desired, for instance, long and A wide. The magnets of FIG. 2are dome shaped or frusto-conical as clearly shown upon FIG. 3 so thatthe total thickness when in use is less than the combined thickness oftwo magnets. They can be any shape and size consistent with the intendeduse.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present inventionmay be made Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificembodiments.

What is claimed is:

1. In a closure fastener for a garment, first and second ribbon-likestrips of flexible material each adapted to be secured to and along arespective closure edge of the garment, and a multiplicity of like,discrete, thin, wafer-like circular magnets fixed to and along each saidstrip in faceto-face relation therewith, the center points of themagnets of each strip defining a line parallel with an edge of itsrespective strip, the spacing between contiguous magnets of each stripbeing slightly less than the corresponding diameter of the magnetsmeasured in and along said line so that each magnet of one strip may besuperposed over and in contact with two contiguous magnets of the otherstrip to partially nest therebetween, each magnet of said first striphaving a positive pole at each intersection with its periphery of itssaid line, and a negative pole intermediate said positive poles, eachmagnet of said second strip having a negative pole at each intersectionwith its periphery of its said line, and a positive pole intermediatesaid negative poles.

2. The fastener of claim 1, each said magnet being fiusto-conical andhaving its face of larger diameter in contact with its respective strip.

3. As an article of manufacture, a ribbon-like strip of flexiblematerial adapted to be secured to and along an edge of a closure flap ofa garment, and a multiplicity of like, thin, fiat, discrete magnets ofregular geometrical outline, each having a center point, said magnetsbeing fixed to said strip in uniformly-spaced relation along and withrespect to an edge thereof, the spacing between contiguous magnets inthe line defined by their center points being less than thecorresponding dimension of the magnets measured in and along said line,each said magnet having its polar areas centered substantially in saidline, there being areas of one polarity at the intersection of said linewith the respective edges of each said magnet, and an area of oppositepolarity between said first-named areas.

4. In a closure fastener for a garment, first and second ribbon-likestrips of flexible material each adapted to be secured to and along arespective closure edge of the garment, and a multiplicity of like,discrete, thin, Wafer-like magnets of regular geometrical perimeterfixed to and along each said strip in face-to-face relation therewith,the center points of the magnets of each strip defining a line parallelwith an edge of its respective strip, the spacing between contiguousmagnets of each strip being slightly less than the correspondingdimension of the magnets measured in and along said line so that themagnets of one strip may be superposed over and in contact with those ofthe other strip to partially nest therebeteewn, each magnet of saidfirst strip having positive poles at the intersection of said line withits perimeter and a negative pole intermediate said positive poles, eachmagnet of the second strip having negative poles at the intersection ofsaid line with its perimeter and a positive pole intermediate saidnegative poles, whereby unlike poles are contiguous when said strips aresuperposed as aforesaid.

References (Jited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,212,326 8/40Piken 24201.2 2,319,292 5/43 Boggs 2420l.2 2,389,298 11/45 Ellis 2420l.22,649,330 8/53 Schamel 24201,2 3,008,299 111/61 Kurt 24201,2 3,102,3149/63 Alderfer 2420l.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 552,740 12/56 Italy.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Examiner.

1. IN A CLOSURE FASTENER FOR A GARMENT, FIRST AND SECOND RIBBON-LIKESTRIPS OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL EACH ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO AND ALONG ARESPECTIVE CLOSURE EDGE OF THE GARMENT, AND A MULTIPLICITY OF LIKE,DISCRETE, THIN, WAFER-LIKE CIRCULAR MAGNETS FIXED TO AND ALONG EACH SAIDSTRIP IN FACETO-FACE RELATION THEREWITH, THE CENTER POINTS OF THEMAGNETS OF EACH STRIP DEFINING A LINE PARALLEL WITH AN EDGE OF ITSRESPECTIVE STRIP, THE SPACING BETWEEN CONTIGUOUS MAGNETS OF EACH STRIPBEING SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE CORRESPONDING DIAMETER OF THE MAGNETSMEASURED IN AND ALONG SAID LINE SO THAT EACH MAGNET OF ONE STRIP MAY BESUPERPOSED OVER AND IN CONTACT WITH TWO CONTIGUOUS MAGNETS OF THE OTHERSTRIP TO PARTIALLY NEST THEREBETWEEN, EACH MAGNET OF SAID FIRST STRIPHAVING A POSITIVE POLE AT EACH INTERSECTION WITH ITS PERIPHERY OF ITSSAID LINE, AND A NEGATIVE POLE INTERMEDIATE SAID POSITIVE POLES, EACHMAGNET OF SAID SECOND STRIP HAVING A NEGATIVE POLE AT EACH INTERSECTIONWITH ITS PERIPHERY OF ITS SAID LINE, AND A POSITIVE POLE INTERMEDIATESAID NEGATIVE POLES.